Promises
by xxfiremaidenxx
Summary: Set after the finale of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, an original story revolving around Alphonse Elric and one of my original characters. NOTE: I don't know what genre it's really supposed to be in...


**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist and Alphonse Elric belong to Hiromu Arakawa-san, but Akira is mine (read: an Original Character/OC). Yes, this is based off a Uso's ****lyrics, and the song belongs to SID. **

******This is an Alphonse Elric x OC (Akira Kato) fic.**

**DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!**

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Old journeys end and new journeys take place. Al and I had ended our trip to Xing abruptly due to unrest in the country, and it had escalated to a full-scale war.

Leaves rustled as wind blew through the trees. I smile at him; he swings our intertwined hands back and forth. Wordlessly, we climb the hill to watch the sunset.

"Ne, Al." I said. The blond looks at me, a kind smile on his face.

"What is it, Akira?"

"Are you going to have to fight for Lin?"

"I do. He also wants you to fight, but I refused."

"Why?"

"I don't mind being injured if it means to be able to keep you safe."

Pouting, I turn back to the sunset.

"Promise me that you'll come back?"

He chuckled, drawing me close as the sky turned crimson.

"I promise."

His charade was perfect. No one suspected a thing, and even Ed couldn't tell if there was something wrong. But as the days passed, Al's behavior started to change. Things he once laughed at now irritated him, gathering for a chat was impossible without a fight breaking out between the brothers. More than once, Winry and I had to pull the first aid kit out and patch them up. The kind Al that I once knew and loved had transformed into a man I hardly recognized, cold and irritable because of worsening news about a war that he was supposed to be fighting in.

Finally, it came. A wax seal used by the emperor embossed the scroll had arrived one gray day with a summons for Al. After a quick kiss and murmuring a promise of returning in a few months, he left, accompanied by the messenger and guards who had delivered the letter. Rain fell onto my face, mingling with the tears that had started to flow out of my eyes freely. I reached up to touch my eyes. I have no idea what caused my tears. How ironic, whenever something bad was about to happen rain would always start falling no matter what season it was. Ed held an umbrella over my head, and I gave him a weak smile as we returned into the house.

Time passed by quickly. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. Before I knew it, five months had passed without a single word from Al.

"Come on, Akira! Time for lunch!" Winry grinned at me. Smiling, I put down the book I was studying from and followed her into the dining room. Pinako-baachan and Ed were already seated, and they paused their conversation to greet us. It seems that everyone was putting up a facade around me nowadays; it was as if they knew something I didn't, and they couldn't tell me. As we ate, the usual banter of everyday talk gradually grew unbearable, and I stopped eating altogether. Winry looked at me with concern.

"Akira..?"

I sighed, looking up.

"Would you please tell me what you've all been hiding? I swear everyone in the whole town knows about it except for me, and that piece of news is something I should be aware of." I said. They glanced at them, seemingly having a quick wordless conversation before Pinako-baachan pulled an envelope out from a drawer behind her. She pushed it towards me, and on it I saw Al's neat and careful handwriting.

"Read it," the woman said said, "Maybe you'll realize why we've been hiding it from you."

I took the letter and went up to my room. Holding my breath, I opened the envelope to see pages of Al's neat handwriting. Skimming the contents - he had addressed the letter to all of us, and thus required me to skip most of the parts irrelevant to me - I finally got to the section for me.

_Akira. How are you? I hope you are doing fine. If you're reading this letter, it means that I've been gone for more than three months - the length of time that we've agreed on letting me be away for._

I thumped my chest gently. It felt like a chain was slowly squeezing my heart as I read on.

_The war is worse than we've heard on the radio. Lin says that I have to stay for a longer period of time, even years. I've been doing everything I can to get home sooner, but to train one in western alchemy is not a feat that even brother can accomplish in a short amount of time._

Once again, I skimmed through the letter. Bits and pieces jumped out at me; how the food tasted, how the war was like, how he wished he could watch the sun go down with me like on that day, but I kept going. Finally, I reached the end of his letter.

_Remember that day when I told you I hated lies? You had laughed and patted me on the head, saying that you won't lie to me. I still hate lies, though it seems that they are in abundance in this place filled with war. The thing is.._

Here, the next few lines have been crossed out and rewritten quite a few times. Despite of myself, I smiled.

_Akira, please do not wait for me. It may be years before I return, and I do not want to rob you of a life filled with joy. Go out and travel the world, do what you want to do. If fate allows us to meet again, then we will meet, one way or another. I am sorry. I love you, now and forever._

I find my cheeks wet with tears as I replace the letter into its envelope and my vision blurs. Exhaustion fills my body, and I close my eyes, allowing my body to fall sideways onto the bed. These feelings that we harbored for each other, the time we spent together, they were all just too painful to think about. His face fills my inner eye, and I watch as he waved to me goodbye. 'We'll meet again one day,' you said. Why did I not realize that it was a lie? As I embrace the darkness that slowly consumed me, I smiled. The final lie was a kind one; I'll never forget.

_Dear Al,_

_I am making my way in the world. Please do not worry about me; your safety is top priority, especially if you plan on coming home._

_I love you._

_Akira_

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**A/N: **phew, first story uploaded! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors. Comments and critiques are well appreciated! ^^

**PS: **is anyone else laughing their heads off because of this fic? I swear I couldn't stop laughing when I read the final result ._.


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